Season for Sharing: Horizons gives students better chance for success

IndyStar's nonprofit Our Children project has awarded grants of more than $180,000 to help children in the Indianapolis area. Here are some of those stories.
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Kameron Milton, left, and Ysabell Braden work together to build a model of a bridge during the Horizons non-profit summer education program at Butler University, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Classmates team up to design and build the models, and in several weeks they will help build a bridge from one of the designs, on the Butler campus.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Winter weather is here, but Shanna Martin is already thinking about summer. The executive director of Horizons at St. Richard's summer school program is looking forward to greeting new and returning students to the campuses of St. Richard's and Butler University.

Horizons is a six-week program for children at risk of falling behind their peers in the classroom, particularly in the areas of reading and math. The majority of students come from low-income neighborhoods surrounding St. Richard's, including Mapleton-Fall Creek and Butler Tarkington.

The tuition-free program, led by licensed teachers, has been housed in donated space at St. Richard's Episcopal School, 33 E. 33rd St., for 20 years. The community came together in 2015 to match a $25,000 grant from IndyStar, raising enough to add an eighth-grade class and allowing Horizons to move its middle-school grades to Butler in 2016.

That move freed up space to add a preschool class to Horizons' summer program at St. Richard's. Horizons now serves about 150 students, who instead of losing ground in core subjects over the summer now gain two to three months in reading and math.

"I want to go to Butler for college," said Quintez Tucker, 14, while leading a tour of the middle-school classrooms on the third floor of Jordan Hall last summer.

Seeing college students in the dining hall and on campus makes him feel that he can be in their place some day.

"It makes me so happy because I get to see people eating lunch and they're in college," Quintez said. "That makes me think I can do it. I walk past the door and see them in class, I know I can do that."

That's the beauty of being at Butler, Martin said. Those experiences will stay with the young students, she believes, and make the idea of college more accessible.

In 2018, Martin is adding a dedicated reading specialist for the middle-school program and strengthening project-based learning that connects reading, math and STEM classroom work.

Last summer, seventh-graders developed and constructed four temporary art/play installations at a pocket park as part of the Frank + Jane Park Project, a partnership with the Keramida Foundation for Education and Art and Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp.

"We're also strengthening our partnership with Reach for Youth, who will work with our fourth-grade students on conflict management, positive character development and leadership skills," Martin said.

Below, Martin talks about Horizons' mission and how you can get involved:

What is Horizons' mission?

Horizons students in kindergarten through eighth grade attend a six-week summer program on the campus of St. Richard's Episcopal School and Butler University. Our focus on literacy and STEM programming (science, technology, engineering and math) inspires students to learn, achieve and experience greater academic success. But most of all, students develop a love of learning. Every Horizons program also includes swimming instruction, breakfast and lunch, field trips, recreation, arts and an overall emphasis on family involvement.

How many people do you help?

In 2017, we served 149 students. All of our students again showed an average gain of two to three months in math and reading skills. We had an 80 percent return rate of students from the previous summer and a 95 percent daily attendance rate. All of our students gained at least two swimming skills based on Red Cross swimming levels, as a result of taking swim lessons three times per week at the Jewish Community Center (JCC).

What do donations go toward?

Donations support salaries for licensed teachers and staff, as well as programming, activities and supplies.

How can people help?

What is your organization's greatest need?

We need a new bus. Much of our fundraising efforts through early 2018 are focused on the purchase of a bus that will safely transport our students to and from St. Richard's each morning and afternoon, and our middle-school students to and from Butler. Students also go to the JCC three times a week for swimming and on numerous field trips throughout the summer. The current bus is too small and has experienced a lot of costly mechanical issues that left our students stranded and us scrambling last summer.

What is Season for Sharing?

The mission of IndyStar’s Our Children campaign is to use the power of journalism to make a difference for our youth. We invite you to join us by not only making a financial contribution but also volunteering when possible.

IndyStar covers all fundraising and administrative costs, so every penny you contribute to Season for Sharing goes directly to the agencies serving Central Indiana families and children in need. In addition, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust will match up to $25,000 in donations, making your contributions go even further.

Go to indystar.com/ocdonate to learn how to donate online and to read stories about work being done to help children in our community. If you prefer to send a check, please mail it to: Central Indiana Community Foundation, Attn: Our Children, 615 N. Alabama St., Suite 119, Indianapolis, IN 46204.

Horizons at St. Richard's

Address: 33 E. 33rd St., Indianapolis, IN 46205.

Eligibility: To apply for a spot at Horizons, students must be enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade for the upcoming school year and qualify for free or reduced lunch. They must commit to attending every day and every summer through eighth grade, and their parent/guardian must sign a mandatory attendance policy. The only cost is a $25 registration fee collected upon acceptance into the program.